Does Toothpaste Lighten Hair Here Is What You Need To Know

Does Toothpaste Lighten Your Hair?

There is no definite answer to this. Toothpaste may (or may not) alter your hair color a bit, depending on the type and formula. Many toothpaste brands claim to whiten your teeth as they contain hydrogen peroxide. This ingredient is also used as a hair lightening agent in bleaches and dyes (1). In salons, hair colorists use hydrogen peroxide solution to lighten or bleach the hair before coloring. This is one reason why people put toothpaste on their hair strands to lighten or bleach them. Does that mean using any toothpaste with hydrogen peroxide can lighten the hair? Not necessarily. First things first, toothpaste is not meant to be applied to the hair. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide required for teeth whitening is way too low than you need for bleaching. Hence, leaving toothpaste on your hair for long may slightly fade the hair color, but the results may not meet your expectations. Moreover, it is not safe to apply toothpaste to the hair. Most toothpaste formulas contain baking soda and other antibacterial ingredients that may dry out the hair and cause breakage (2). Ash, a YouTuber, tried bleaching a strand of her hair with toothpaste. She applied toothpaste to it with bare hands, wrapped the strand in a piece of foil paper, and waited for an hour to see the results. She exclaims in her video, “Oh my god! So, this doesn’t work. It just dried out my hair pretty bad (i).” Note: While home remedies can be a great option for personal care and grooming, it is important to keep in mind that not all DIY hair care solutions are safe and effective. Applying toothpaste to lighten dark brown hair without bleach is an effective hack, but it can be messy. Also, removing dry toothpaste from the hair is tough. In the next section, we discuss easy ways to remove toothpaste from your hair.

How To Remove Toothpaste From Your Hair

Separate the hair section with dried toothpaste and clip it away from the rest of the hair. Use warm water to soften the dried toothpaste and comb the section gently with a wide-toothed comb to remove the product. Shampoo your hair. Leave it on for a few minutes to dissolve toothpaste residue. Wash off the shampoo and repeat 1-2 times if the hair feels sticky. Detangle your hair with a wide-toothed comb after washing.

Can vinegar lighten hair? Yes. You may use apple cider and distilled white vinegar as diluted hair sprays and leave for around 30 minutes to lighten your hair to some extent. Can saltwater lighten hair? Yes. People who swim in the ocean find their hair lighter as the saltwater alters the natural keratin in their strands. So, you may use salt water as a DIY hair bleach at home. However, keep in mind that salt may also dry out your hair. Can toothpaste and cinnamon lighten hair? No. Toothpaste and cinnamon do not have any hair-lightening effect. Can honey lighten hair? Yes. Raw unpasteurized honey has hydrogen peroxide that may help lighten your hair. However, you should mix honey in water or apple cider vinegar (in a 4:1 ratio) and leave it on for 2-8 hours to achieve noticeable results.